Finley's an emerging star
Jermichael Finley won’t be a panacea for the offense, but the return of the young tight end should go a long way in curing what ails the sputtering unit. “He won’t make the pass protection any better, but he’ll give Aaron Rodgers someplace to go with the ball when the pocket is caving in around him,” said a longtime NFL scout. “At 6-5, Finley is an easy target to locate. Donald Driver and Greg Jennings are quality wide receivers, but those little guys can get lost in a crowd. A big and athletic tight end is the best security blanket a quarterback can have.”
At his Monday press conference, Mike McCarthy said that Finley will return to practice on Wednesday and should be ready to go on Sunday against San Francisco. “I anticipate he’ll be back if he gets through the week,” said the coach. While Donald Lee and Spencer Havner have made a few big plays in Finley’s absence, neither can stretch the field. “It might seem funny saying this about a guy with only 23 career catches,” added the scout, “but before he got injured, I think he was the player who scared opposing defensive coordinators the most.” That doesn’t sound funny to fans; it sounds very exciting.
[...] Jermichael Finley is back at practice. Packer Update says this should open up the offense. [...]
It was great seeing Finley back. I didn’t think he’d be this good this quickly. We haven’t had a tight end like this for years.